Balgownie - Environment

Balgownie is primarily a residential suburb of Wollongong. The natural environment is dominated by the location of Cabbage Tree Creek which runs through the centre of the suburb.

The Cabbage Tree Creek catchment is situated just north of the central business district and contains the suburbs of Fairy Meadow and Balgownie. Balgownie is predominantly urbanised and only the steeper escarpment land is not developed. The Cabbage Tree Creek catchment is small with an area of 10.4 kilometres and a total stream length of 5.5 kilometres. (Peterson, 2002)

The native vegetation of Balgownie was wet-sclerophyll forest with warm temperate rainforests and patches of subtropical rainforests within the gullies. "Most of the foothills have been cleared with only some remnant bushland and riparian stands remaining in the lower parts. Apart from selected reserves, the coastal plain is nearly all cleared of remnant vegetation, with invasive exotic plants constituting the majority of riparian vegetation." (Peterson 2002, p. 10 -11)

There is still a large diversity of native species in the Cooinda Reserve. There are 16 specimens of Hibiscus splendens and a remnant riverine rainforest. The area was grazed by domestic stock for years which was halted in 1994 due to public pressure.

This has lead to the unusual case of large tree specimens of Sydney Blue Gum hybrid Eucalyptus saligna x botryoides, Blackwood Acacia melanoxylon, Cheese Tree Glochidion ferdiandi, Native Pepper, Piper novaehollandiae and Cockspur Thorn Maclura cochinchinensis but few if any young plants.

A thicket of lantana is preventing the resurgence of other species and this thicket which is punctuated by large trees dominates the landscape.

May species pf birds have been observed in the reserve including Kookaburra, Native Pigeon, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Mountain Lowry, Cat Bird, Eastern Whip Bird, Rufus Fantail, Magpie and Black Duck. Mammals include Echidna, Wallaby and Bandicoot. In the creek there are insects, Blue Yabbies, frogs and the fish Galaxia. (Crowe, Environment Illawarra - Initiatives p. 18 - 19)